#this is sketchy and kinda subpar but it's something

[poisonandpages]

Ok so I just finished my first read of Peter Darling by Austin Chant after completing it in a few hours, and here are my thoughts (spoilers if you haven't read it) ;

The writing is of better quality than I was expecting. I've been fooled by the "progressive retelling of (x beloved story)" kind of marketing before so I had braced myself for something distinctly subpar in the vein of un-proofread fanfic and was pleasantly surprised to find how well done it is as a novel.

I think the story is more nuanced than I've seen certain reviews give it credit for. Specifically, I think a lot of people saw "Peter Pan/Captain Hook love story" and assumed it had a paedophilic angle to it. Is it kinda sketchy for an adult to get with someone who is technically also an adult but was known to them as a child? Of course, this is something that always makes me uncomfortable irl and I hate to see it played straight in fiction, but it's established in this story that both time and memories are made blurry by the very nature of Neverland, so it enters instead somewhat vague and implausible territory like criticising a vampire for getting with a young human adult - there is no real world equivalent to this so it's easier to hand-wave the age stuff away.

I also felt the author approached the characterisation of the leads and the themes of growing up and coping via imagination vs reality in a much more complex way than most Pan stories do. At times it was brilliantly heart-wrenching.

I can only applaud the decision to leave out the "Indians" from Barrie's original work. The Doylist explanation is of course "it would be hard work trying to justify such a thing in the work of a 21st century writer", but I like to think that the Watsonian explanation is "Peter may still have some growing up to do but he matured just enough to realise Native Americans are people too".

The ending where two people made miserable by their real lives who felt they had no choice but to hide in a fantasy land choose to return to this world together, as honest, awkward versions of themselves? Beautiful. Spectacular. Chef's kiss.

I loved how the fairies were written as these little half-human half-bug creatures, more real than the nameless pirates but less so than Hook and Pan, much more alien than the miniature winged people that could be expected in a disney story. The way they're described and the way in which Neverland "traps" people felt a lot more like traditional legends of the Fair Folk than anything else.

I'd like to know that Ernest lived a happy life but I understand why the author chose not to include that.

As a cis person I don't know how much I can talk about the trans narrative that is key to the entire story, but I personally thought that it was very well done and knowing that it was written by an actual trans person made it all the more wonderful.

In short I enjoyed it, but I know it's the sort of story that won't be for everyone. Glad I got it.

[cicadidae-tm9899]

Ok i want to share my Disco Elysium skills because writing this is way harder than i thought it'd be lmao. This will be a long post bc there are 24 of these and I'm writing a description for all of them, so check under the cut if you're interested in reading me psychoanalyze myself! (also I'm sorry for how many culinary references there are in the skill names and also in the fic. Like, the fic is about me going to school which is just a shitton of cooking. I spend like 75% of my day in various kitchens so it's kinda hard to avoid mentioning it when talking about myself lol.)

Intellect- •Logic = Inference: With so many silent communications and unwritten social cues, the best some of us can do is infer meaning in everyday life. Having done this for so long has left you with the skill to guess at things and somehow make it out of the situation correct.

•Encyclopedia = Scribe: A penchant for writing essays and sessions reading the dictionary with your dad has left you with a dramatic vocabulary and a tendency to regurgitate information on a whim. It only seems to work while writing, as your speech patterns are long-winded and stumbling.

•Rhetoric = Embellishment: You have never been good at debating, always stumbling over your words and overthinking every possible retort until the time for response has passed. You are, however, great at hyperbole, and can make up stories on the fly whenever necessary. This is a defense mechanism.

•Drama = Attitude: A term coined by your parents after many an overreaction, Attitude would likely be better understood as just Drama, but the shame of subpar emotional regulation skills is easier to deal with than explaining to people that sometimes your emotions are too big and even you don't think it's that big of a deal, but yelling helps sometimes.

•Conceptualization = Creativity: Always the artist, right? Without the technical skill to translate ideas to paper all you can do is dream, and you've done plenty of dreaming in your day. A vivid imagination is as much of a curse as it is a blessing, so try not to let your mind wander too far again.

•Visual Calculus = Conversion: You've always been keen on "eyeballing it." Trusting your instincts and past experience when measuring things, whether it be in a recipe or gauging someone's reaction to something, you always feel like you can get the ratios just perfect. You are often wrong.

Psyche- •Volition - Discretion: Weaker than it should be for someone of your age. Always being forced into situations against your will has led to a warped sense of what you want and why you want it. You really should focus more on your own feelings.

•Inland Empire = Apprehension: Thanks to your sense of Empathy, your trust has been worn down by other people taking advantage of you. It's easy to back out of sketchy situations, but when it comes to someone's feelings you are almost always the last to leave. Once again, listen to the nagging in the back of your mind. It means well.

•Empathy = Empathy: Your father always said you were the most empathetic person he knew. This is often detrimental to yourself and your loved ones, as you always seem to gravitate towards the saddest people and give them everything you have without concern for your own well-being. This has always had long-term consequences.

•Authority = Privilege: You know you have no right to take as much as you do, and you try to help fight for everyone's rights, but it is becoming increasingly hard to ignore how good you have it and how much you take advantage of that. You can't help but feel like you deserve it.

•Esprit de Corps = Brigade de Cuisine: In almost everything, there is a hierarchy. Always a bigger fish, always a higher power. Remember that you are low on the food chain, and you will have to claw your way to the top even if it kills you (It will.)

•Suggestion = Proposition: You have spent years perfecting the art of white lies. They come easily to you, almost as easily as breathing. This has caused as much good as it has bad, saving you from minor inconveniences on many occasions but also digging you deeper into pits of guilt. This too is a defense mechanism (one that would be leagues more effective if you could manage to keep your mouth shut.)

Physique- •Endurance = Grit: Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You've made it this far and you sure as hell ain't gonna quit now. If you don't make it through this bit then everything leading up to this was for nothing so keep going. The pain is a privilege.

•Pain Threshold = Discomfort: Yet another symptom of your parent's judgements, it feels less like you're determining a level of pain and more like fighting a losing battle with your body, always trying to find a small bit of comfort in the midst of the constant aches and pains. They say it's rude to sit like that in church.

•Physical Instrument = Incarnate Vehicle: Threadbare seats, chipped paint, and mysterious creaking sounds be damned, this MC still gets you from place to place with undeterred consistency. It will squeal and groan with the effort, but you were built strong and you want to show it. Deteriorating but still reliable.

•Electrochemistry = Hedonist: With your upbringing, you spent many years shielded from the world and all the delights it offers. No amount of school assemblies have deterred you from yearning to partake in the myriad of vices you find yourself offered. Let's make up for lost time, baby! Get out there and get wild. This shitty college town is your oyster and it's been waiting for you.

•Shivers = Tumbleweed: There's a specific kind of nostalgia that washes over you when you spot a tumbleweed meandering across your path. Echoes of past droughts and moments spent poolside. This debris has seen more than you ever could, and will continue its journey until the end of time.

•Half-Light = Panic: That creeping dread you know all too well, crawling up your spine anytime you go outside. What if he's here again? He could have found you. Ever-present anxiety always keeping you on your toes, making even the familiar feel hostile. Prey instinct.

Motorics- •Hand/Eye Coordination = Knife Skills: You have been training for years to improve your coordination, and all that work has certainly paid off. Precise cuts made without a second glance, measured to the millimeter with only your muscle memory. A perfect julienne in seconds.

•Perception = Awareness: You often find yourself favoring smaller details over the bigger picture. This had led people to believe that you don't pay attention, when in reality you pay more attention than most. Always noticing small inconsistencies. Your hearing is going, but it only takes you a second longer than others to understand, and the chronic allergies have left you with a subpar sense of smell, but your eyes are sharp and your fingers can detect the most minuscule details.

•Reaction Speed = Reflex: You know that a falling knife has no handle, and yet you still flinch in the direction it flew. Even still, all you ever do is flinch. The instinct to grab the knife is inhibited by your seeming inability to truly act. Keep flinching, maybe someday your hand will move at the right time and you'll catch the knife.

•Savoir Faire = Charm: You always want people to think you have it together, so you spend time and money and energy to look the part, and then turn up the charisma when someone looks your way. They cannot see the you that hides behind flashy clothes and makeup. You do not like what they would see. You know it's only a grocery run, but maybe this time someone will take notice. So always have a joke ready. Make sure even your lazy clothes look decent.

•Interfacing = Tech Support: A summer spent in a dingy office with a borrowed computer and expensive camera equipment has lent you a decent amount of knowledge with computers. Though it isn't much more substantial than anyone else your age, it has earned you plenty of compliments from older family members or coworkers.

•Composure = Mask: Try not to react. They will know exactly what thoughts are in your head if your face moves even the slightest bit, so you mustn't let them know how you feel. Keep those big feelings down, big fella. Keep those walls tall.

[liauditore]

Your art style to me has a main identifier of like, feeling sketchy while fully coloured. It's like the lines. Sorry this is a bit late it took me a bit fully analyze.

don't apologise theres no such thing as late!! i love getting asks u could send me asks for ask games from like eight months ago and i'd still answer probs lol (honestly just send me asks for any reason at any time it's like enrichment to me)

thanku!! *whispers* its cus i hate lineart. which is also a problem cus i like how it looks 😔😔

for a long time i struggled w/ whether i wanted to do super clean animation-style stuff or full-on paintings which u can see here. i think i talked abt this a bit on my spam blog but basically i had an eureka moment where i realised i was sacrificing my enjoyment in the drawing process for an imaginary ideal goal and was kinda making myself miserable while drawing which meant i spent less time on each drawing which meant they always turned out subpar to my standards. so i kinda explored for awhile and i think ive landed on something that customizes my process to something my brain and eyes both approve of.

i think im slowly inching towards getting a bit more cleaner but a mate and i were talking the other day abt how drawings that uh.. look like drawings have a certain appeal yanno? like when u watch old cartoons and can see the pencil sketch lines. there's something charming abt it.

uh yeah idk where i was going w/ this lol. colouring sketches makes me happy 👍 brain go brr brr pretty colours 👍👍 no line weight club represent

[idk-cookie-run-blog]

Rat Boy

One sketchy Barley Cookie for the amazing @phantombl3u !